INCOME TAXES (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2016

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Reconciliation of income tax expense (benefit)

The actual income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 differed from the “expected” income tax expense for those periods (computed by applying the United States federal corporate tax rate of 35 percent to income before income tax expense) as follows:

	Three months ended   March 31,
($ in thousands)	2016			2015
Computed "expected" income tax expense	$	7,307		$	10,478
Increases (decreases) in tax resulting from:
Tax-exempt interest income	(695		)	(698		)
Dividends received deduction	(425		)	(258		)
Proration of tax-exempt interest and dividends received deduction	168			143
Other, net	(132		)	(58		)
Total income tax expense	$	6,223		$	9,607